Adoption or Marriage challenge
by Toralu
Summary: Draco lost his parents in his sixth year. Beause he is still underage, he is not entitled to anything they left him in their will. What is he to do? Ginny hears Ministry officials talking at night about it and comes to the most startling solutions to help. Adoption or marriage. Also, Hermione is causing rumors and Fred and George seem to have turned on each other with their pranks
1. Chapter 1

This is for lookimacloud and is for her challenge: Adoption or Marriage

Draco lost his parents in his sixth year. Because he is still underage, he is not entitled to anything they left him their will. What is he to do? Ginny hears ministry officials talking at night about it and comes to the most startling solutions to help. Adoption or marriage.

There are some other rules/things that have to be included too: Hermione has strange cravings making everyone think she is pregnant, Dean wants Ginny back, Mr and Mrs Weasly are on the brink of a divorce and Fred and George like the same girl-will it all work out?

Reviews appreciated!

* * *

All heads turned to watch as the blonde boy walked into the great hall and a sudden hush came over the tables. His head, normally up arrogantly, was down staring at the ground and his face was pale, it was the first time he had been seen in weeks. His footsteps could be heard clearly walking down to the Slytherin table for a few seconds in the silence before whispers started breaking out in little groups and when he had sat down at the table the level of conversation had almost gone back to normal, though most eyes were still on him.

"We ought to fell sorry for him I suppose," said Ron, chewing on a sausage, "but it's not easy."

"Ron!" Hermione said, "he just lost his parents!"

"I suppose so."

Harry, watching Malfoy as he sat with his head bowed almost out of sight behind the other students, knew exactly how he was feeling. It had been him once, more than once, whispers about his parents following him in the corridors and the great hall and it had been Malfoy who had been behind most of them. Still, in spite of that it was true, he realized, he did feel sorry for him. He looked away back at his plate and started to finish his bacon.

"Pass me that plate," said Hermione and took a couple more slices of toast.

Just then a flurry of wings announced the arrival of the morning post as hundreds of owls flooded into the great hall. Harry looked up and automatically glanced over at Malfoy then, feeling ashamed of himself, looked quickly away again and looked for hedwig instead. Ron however didn't hold back.

"No post for him," he said, staring over at the Slytherin table.

"_Ron!" _Hermione nudged him, hard, "stop staring at him it's horrible!" to Harry's surprise she then looked pointedly at him.

Ron seemed to get her meaning though because he immediately looked abashed. Harry realized what she meant, that he himself had gone through the same thing.

"It's okay," he said, spotting Hedwig coming towards him, a letter in her beak, "people are always going to talk."

"And Malfoy used to talk all the time about your.." Ron trailed off, looking slightly uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject, "oh look there's Errol!"

The old and battered Weasly owl skidded onto the table, scattering cornflakes and dropping two letters in front of Ron before narrowly avoiding falling into Hermione's porridge. Hedwig made a graceful landing next to him and dropped her letter onto Harry's plate before fluttering onto his shoulder. He opened it, it was a note from Hagrid asking them to tea that Friday. Ginny, who was sitting next to Harry, leant forwards to look at the letters in front of Ron.

"That one's for me," she said, picking it up and opening it.

Ron opened his and scanned it, looking eager. Harry saw the 'Chudley Cannons' logo and guessed it was some sort of Quiddich newsletter. Beside him Ginny groaned slightly as she read her letter, her eyes travling quickly over the writing.

"Oh no."

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, crunching on her toast crusts.

"It's from mum," said Ginny, still reading, her expression glum.

The air suddenly filled with certain tension as Hermione and Harry glanced at each other and Ron looked up and stared at the letter in Ginny's hand as if it was about to burst into flames. Harry hurriedly distracted himself by feeding Hedwig and Erol his bacon rinds. When Harry and Hermione had stayed at the burrow that summer, the relationship between Mr and Mrs Weasly had not been good. They had been pleasant enough at his birthday dinner and had been perfectly welcoming to them, but they had hardly spoken a word to each other and Mr Weasly had been staying at the Ministry later than Harry had ever remembered him doing before. And when everyone else had gone to bed they could hear raised voices coming from downstairs, heated arguments that had gotton so loud they had once caused Ron to ignore the rules and cast a silencing charm in the direction of the stairs. It had been an awkward subject and Harry was keen not to discuss it and he was sure Hermione felt the same.

"She's sent me a rant," Ginny said despairingly, "all about dad this and dad that," she folded up the paper and stuffed it back into the envelope, ignoring Ron's demands to see it and put it in her backpack, "she sent it to me, not you Ron."

A gaggle of seventh years, Fred and George among them, stood up from further down the table and left the hall, one dropped her bag and her friend stopped to help her pick it up. Harry noticed that Malfoy too had left his table and was heading for the door, alone.

"Is it true?" Harry said, feeling only slightly ashamed as he did so, "how his parents died? That..death eaters we're involved?"

Hermione looked a little disapproving but then she frowned, "I'm not sure, but judging by who his parents associated with..quite possibly I would think, yes."

Ron shook his head, "bad lot to get mixed up in."

Hedwig nibbled Harry's ear affectionately then flapped her wings and lifted off his shoulder, flying out of the great hall again. Harry stood up to go too, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He heard a voice behind him and turned only to see that it was Dean Thomas, talking to Ginny. He turned back to see Ron throwing Errol into the air to help him get started then he turned and walked out of the hall, wondering how he was going to fare in potions, his first lesson.

"Strange," said Hermione as she and Ron caught up with him.

"What?"

"Oh it's just that I thought Ginny and Dean broke up over the summer," said Hermione, "but I saw him talking to her just now."

Ron turned and stared back at the Griffindor table and Harry followed his gaze but Dean had gone and Ginny had left the table and was following them back to Griffendor tower. Ron muttered something unintelligible then took out his time table.

"Potions first," he groaned, "I was hoping I'd misread it..but hey," he said, suddenly brightening, "not old Snape any more, I wonder what Sluggorn will be like."

"Slughorn," Hermione corrected him automatically.

"Yea well, I just hope he won't make me want to chuck toad guts at him," Ron replied and they left the hall and walked back to the tower, discussing their new teacher along the way.

* * *

Ginny stood and shoved her hands into the pockets of her robes, looking around the deserted corridor. It was night and the corridor was dark and shadowy, the only light coming from a few flickering torches in brackets along the wall. She glanced at her watch again and shuffled her feet impatiently. Why she had agreed to meet him here at breakfast that morning she could not imagine. They had broken up that summer and no, she didn't think she still had feelings for him. So why had she agreed to meet him here now? To tell him to forget her, she supposed. She glanced up and down the corridor and was wondering whether she should go when she heard a voice.

"Ginny?"

She turned and saw a light coming from another corridor a few paces in front of her then Dean appeared.

"Someone might see that," she whispered, nodding to the lit wand.

"There's no one here," he replied and came towards her.

She looked up at his face and read his expression, trying to see how she felt, he looked slightly nervous. She felt normal, she realised.

"Why are we meeting here?" said asked.

"There's too many people in the common room," he replied. "Ginny," he said, "I was thinking about you over summer and when I came back to school..I-"

"Dean-" she interrupted, but he shook his head.

"I want to see you again," he said, "we should never have broken up."

Ginny stared at him, unsure what to say, "I..yes, we should have, I'm sorry."

His eyes widened slightly, "Ginny, I can't stop thinking about you."

I should never have come, she thought.

"Dean, I've moved on," she said, trying to sound sympathetic but firm, "and you should too."

He stared at her for a few seconds and she thought he was going to argue, but then he turned and walked away back down the corridor.

"I won't give up," she thought she heard him mutter before he turned the corner and disapeared, the light from his wand fading.

Ginny watched him go, feeling tired and slightly confused then she pulled her own wand out of her pocket and muttered, "lumos," going to find her own way to Griffendor tower.

She had barely gone a few paces however when she heard footsteps coming towards her. At first she thought it was Dean coming back again then she heard the swish of long robes. Not Snape, she pleaded, but she recognized the familiar walk that her friends often imitated and she quickly put out her wand and ran as silently as she could down the corridor, trying not to panic as she heard him approach.

Thanks a lot Dean, she thought bitterly as she ran, if she was going to wind up with dention he'd be getting an earful from her. As she turned down a random corridor she heard the portraits on the walls muttering slightly as she ran past and she prayed they didn't wake up and give her away. She took another turning and soon slowed, satisfied that she had lost him, then hurried down the corridor trying to find her bearings and realised she was near Slughorn's office. She had started making her way back to Griffindor tower when more footsteps made her stop in her tracks. Snape must have heard her, she thought, then she realized she could hear more than one person and the low murmur of voices. Panicking slightly she looked for somewhere to hide as the voices got louder. She spotted a suit of armor in a shadowy alcove and, cursing her stupidity for sneaking out, she squeezed in behind it, trying not to make it rattle and pulled her robes around her, hoping that they and the shadows were enough to hide her and realizing how stupid she would look if someone did find her. She peered out and saw two men coming down the corridor towards her, one stouter than the other and with a small white mustache.

"A pitty," the first one was saying.

The other man sighed, "Mr Malfoy's position is regrettable, but we can't find the new will. And even if we could he would be too young to inherit."

Ginny frowned, they were talking about Malfoy.

"Seems a little odd though, doesn't it? The old will just happens to leave everything to her sister and her husband."

Belatrix and Rodolphus Ginny immediately thought, she wouldn't put it past them for foul play, she listened harder.

"We can't prove anything," his companion replied.

"No."

Ginny shrank back as they passed her, holding her breath but they didn't even glance in her direction. She noticed their briefcases and realized they must be from the ministry, probably just leaving from seeing Dumbledore. They continued down the corridor and their voices faded away. Ginny waited until she was sure they were gone then she slipped out into the corridor and hurried back to Griffindor tower. It was now well past midnight. As she climbed the stairs she mulled over what she had just overheard. She thought of a certain secret, one she was sure Malfoy had hinted at at the start of term and one he could easily hold over her, if he knew. She frowned, ignoring the fat lady's complaints about the time as she said the password (hogwash!) and climbed through the portrait hole.

"You're lucky I hadn't decided to go to sleep, teenagers these days, no respect..." her voice faded away as the portrait swung shut behind her and Ginny's expression cleared slightly as she crossed the common room.

Maybe, there was a way she could help, to both of their advantages.

* * *

*Edit: I know Ginny and Dean were dating quite far into their sixth year, but for the sake of the story here they broke up near the summer. Also, I know Fred and George had left school but let's say they decided to do another year to make up for their half-year or that they are just a year younger here than they are in the books :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry looked down the roll of parchment and sighed. He may not have been Snape, but professor Slughorn had still given them a fair amount of homework. He looked over at his potions book and rifled through the pages, feeling slightly lost. Hermione had already finished her essay and was flicking through the pages of an ancient book on magical history.

"Hermione?" he said hopefully, "I don't suppose you could look at this..?" he slid the parchment a millimetre closer to her. She looked up with a slightly disapproving expression and then leaned closer, scanning the page.

"It should be boomslang skin, not essence of newt," she said, then went back to her book.

Harry quickly scored out the wrong ingredient and corrected it. Ron pushed his transfiguration essay away from him and yawned, stretching his arms above his head. Harry looked closely at his friend, he was looking tired and had slight smudges under his eyes. That afternoon Ron had persuaded Ginny to let him read the letter that their mother had sent her and for the rest of the day he had been unusually quiet and he hadn't eaten much at dinner. Ron frowned and scribbled something down as an afterthought.

"I think I've done okay," he said dubiously. Hermione put her book down with a sigh.

"Oh give it here," she said in an exasperated voice, but Harry thought her thoughts must have been similar to his because it was with a slightly softened expression that she pulled the parchment towards her and began to look through it.

"Ahh thanks a million Hermione," said Ron, looking slightly surprised.

Fred and George came down the stairs from the boys dormitory, carrying buckets full of merchandise. Harry heard a laugh and saw a girl with long blonde hair watching with a couple of girls beside her, all watching with interest. It was the same girl who had dropped her books at breakfast the day before he remembered and he realized he didn't recognize her. He saw Fred smile at her and stand a little straighter.

"You should correct that passage, it's owls not crows," said Hermione to Ron and handed his essay back to him as across the room Fred put something in his mouth and a second later his voice came out as a loud croak.

"Frog tongues!" George said loudly, striding forwards with a bucket full of them and offering it to the group of girls. A cluster of students formed around him, offering coins.

"Who is that girl?" Harry asked, nodding towards her. He noticed George hand her a packet and shake his head when she offered to pay.

Ron looked up, "seventh year," he said, "she spent her sixth year at Bouxbaton instead, probably why you don't recognize her, but I reckon she liked us better."

Harry thought Ron looked quite glad of this and was watching her for longer than was maybe strictly necessary. Hermione seemed to notice too and she snorted slightly and then slammed her book shut. Harry widened his eyes, not expecting such a strong reaction but she was no longer looking at Ron, she had a slightly longing look on her face.

"I really fancy.." she said, "canary creams. Or fried eggs."

"Not together surely," Ron said, looking slightly alarmed.

"No," Hermione shook her head, "but I really want one or the other.."

"Did I hear someone say canary creams?" Fred appeared at her elbow, holding one out with a grin.

Hermione eyed it for a few seconds and then reached out to take it.

"Hermione!" said Ron, "what are you doing?"

Hermione quickly withdrew her hand, "you're right."

She gathered up her books and a disappointed Fred went away again. Ginny arrived a few minutes later and flopped into the spare armchair with a sigh. They looked at her curiously.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"I've been thinking about Malfoy," said Ginny.

"What about him?" asked Harry.

"Do you know he's going to loose all his money? And he can't inherited his estate?"

"Fabulous!" said Ron.

"How do know all that? Hermione looked surprised.

"I overheard two men from the ministry talking about it last night," Ginny admitted.

"Last night?"

"In the third floor corridor."

"What were you doing in the third floor corridor?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"None of your business."

"Who were you meeting?" he demanded.

Ginny ignored him.

"I was thinking I could help him," she said.

Ron and Harry both stared at her, Ron's interest in her social habits momentarily vanishing.

"Help him?" said Harry, "with what?"

"..well, he's not going to inherit now. Belitrix is going to get everything because they 'lost' the will and he's too young to inherit anyway because he's underage."

"And?" said Ron, sounding as if he couldn't care less.

Ginny ignored him, speaking instead to Hermione.

"Well I was thinking that was unfair, so I should help him gain his inheritance again, so to speak."

They stared at her, identical expressions of shock on their faces.

"That's mental," said Ron.

Ginny cast him a scathing look.

"And," said Hermione, sounding as if she was at least trying to see Ginny's point, "how did you think you were going to do that?"

"Well, I was thinking..adoption or marriage."

For once even Hermione was lost for words as they all stared at Ginny in disbelief.

"Adoption or marriage?" Ron was still nagging Ginny about it the next day as they walked down to their classes.

Ginny rolled her eyes and walked faster, trying to lose him but he kept up with her.

"That's the most mental thing I've ever heard."

"Yes Ron, you've _said_." she replied through gritted teeth.

"I mean, it's not as if he's ever done anything for you, why would you want to help him-"

"Will you shut up!?" Ginny whirled around and turned on him, "I'm not asking you to do anything, I'm just trying to do a nice thing!" she glared at him.

They arrived at McGonagall's classroom. A group of Slytherins were standing outside, Draco Malfoy among them, but his head was down and he wasn't talking to his classmates. A group of second years had stopped a little way away and were whispering amongst each other, sending glances in his direction that they made no attempt to hide. Ginny hesitated and then walked over to them.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" They looked up at her in surprise, "go on", she continued, "get to class."

They gave her grumpy looks before turning and walking away, still muttering to each other. Ginny glanced at Malfoy and then walked over to him. Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped a little way away, watching. Malfoy half-glanced up at her before looking down again.

"Don't expect me to thank you," he hissed.

"I didn't," Ginny said curtly, "look, I think I can help you," she whispered very quietly, so only Malfoy could hear her.

Malfoy looked up sharply, "my parents are _dead_," he spat, "how exactly do you think you can help with that?" his eyes were filled with a mix of defiant anger and sadness.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, "but I didn't mean that, I meant about the will."

Malfoy shot her a look through narrowed eyes, "how do you know about that Weasly?"

"That's not important-"

"It's none of your buisness!" Malfoy's pale cheeks had flushed pink, "just go away!" he hissed.

Ginny flushed slightly and narrowed her eyes, then she turned on her heel and walked down the corridor to her own classroom.

"Told you it was mental," said Ron as the classroom door opened and they filed in.

That evening Harry and Ron were sitting in the common room, both struggling over their charms homework. The clock on the wall seemed to have stuck, or been bewitched to run slower. A distraction arrived in the form of Fred and George, who came in with a selection of 'Weasly's wizard wheezes' and said in loud voices,

"Canary creams! Nose-bleed nougats!"

"Fake wands!"

Soon a group of excited students had gathered round, the blonde girl was among them again and George singled her out.

"Fake wand? Turns into a chicken, hammer or a duck," he said and held out one of the wands from the tray.

He waited for a few seconds but nothing happened, the wand stayed a wand. The girl looked at it expectantly and then gave him a confused look.

"Hang on," said George, looking over at Fred, "this is your wand, you switched them!"

"Did I?" said Fred innocently, leaning over and tweaking the wand from his twin's grasp, "my mistake. Canary cream?" he said, turning to the blonde girl and offering the tray. George gave him a furious look behind his back.

"I smell trouble there," said Ron, grinning.

They watched as the twins haggled with the students, paying particular attention to the pretty seventh year and tried to forget their unfinished charms homework in front of them.

Suddenly there was a tapping at one of the windows, an eagle owl was looking in, tapping on the glass with its beak. It took a few minutes for it to be heard over the babble of students but then Ginny stood up from an armchair a few tables away and opened the window. The owl held out its leg and Ginny untied the note attached to it and unrolled the parchment reading a few lines of what was written, then she looked up and weaved her way through the crowded common room over to the table where Harry and Ron were sitting. She sat down in front of them and lay the parchment on the table.

"See?" she said, "I told you."

Harry and Ron leaned over to look. On the paper was written:

_What did you mean by you could help me? My personal business is none of your concern but I have a right to know if you know something I don't._

_D.M_

"He actually wrote to you," said Ron in amazement.

Just then the portrait hole opened and Hermione entered the common room, clutching a parcel to her chest. She came over to them and sat down next to Ron.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I was about to say the same thing," Ron replied.

Hermione unwrapped the parcel to reveal several small fruit tarts. Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Hungry?" he asked.

Hermione gave him a slightly irritated look and bit into a strawberry tart, looking over at Ginny's letter.

"Malfoy?" she said, scanning the parchment and looking surprised, "he sent you a letter?"

"Yes," said Ginny.

"Quick, chuck it in the fire before it bites you," said Ron.

Harry grinned but Hermione frowned at him.

"She can't do that, can you Ginny?"

Ginny shook her head, she picked up a quill and a spare piece of Harry's parchment and started to write a reply.

_Meet me outside the entrance hall tomorrow at break_

She rolled it up then went back to the owl, who had been waiting on the windowsill as if anticipating a reply, some of the students closest to the window were frowning, sending annoyed glances at her as the wind blew into the warm common room. The owl stayed still as she tied the letter to its leg then it turned and soared out of the window into the night. Ginny shut the window behind it and joined the others again.

"Ginny?"

A sixth year came over to them, holding a bunch of purple and yellow flowers.

"They're for you," she said.

"Thanks Romelda," Ginny said as she took them. Romelda smiled, her eyes flickering slightly to Harry, then she went back to her friends. Ron stared at her as she walked away then turned to face Ginny.

"Why-?" he began but she cut him off.

"They're not from her," she said, "they're from Dean Thomas."

"Dean Thomas?" Ron frowned, "I thought you broke up with him!"

"I did," said Ginny, reading a little card that was tied around the flower stems and untying it.

Ginny sighed as she held the flowers in one hand, their sweet scent wafting around her. She was tempted to throw them away but as she looked at the roaring fire she thought it would be a waste so instead she looked around for somewhere to put them. Hermione, guessing what she was thinking and munching on her third tart, conjured a vase out of thin air and Ginny placed the flowers in it. Then, leaving the flowers in the vase, she said goodnight and went up to bed.

It was bright but with a slight nip in the air as Ginny crossed the entrance hall and went down the front steps, looking around. She expected that her brother, Harry and Hermione would be somewhere watching as they had read the time on her letter yesterday, and sure enough she saw them walking slowly towards the castle, sending glances in her direction. She stood by the steps and waited. At quarter past she saw Malfoy walking out of the entrance hall towards her, he was walking slowly with his shoulders slightly hunched and he looked somehow smaller without the usual Crabbe and Goyle flanking him, as he saw her his eyes narrowed sullenly.

"Hi," she said, trying to sound friendly.

"Out with it, Weasly," he snapped, "who's been telling you about my family's business?"

"No-one," she replied, "I found out on my own."

"Sneaking around, nosing in on things that are none of your business?" he sneered, "I should hex you," he said angrily, but he didn't go for his wand, Ginny thought with a faint twinge of satisfaction that he might be remembering her bat bogey hex.

"I didn't mean to find out," she retorted, "but I know Belatrix is going to get everything."

"So what?" Malfoy's face flushed with anger, "I just came here to tell you to stay out of my business!"

"Hey, don't yell at my sister like that!"

Ron had come over, Harry and Hermione behind him, evidentially having heard their conversation.

"What are they doing here?" Malfoy demanded, his gaze flickered to Harry and he glared at him, "this isn't your business either Potter, or yours Mudblood."

Ron and Harry glared at him furiously while Hermione just narrowed her eyes slightly, ignoring the jibe.

"I didn't ask them to come," Ginny said angrily, sending a glance at Ron, "anyway, what are you going to do now?"

"Stay out of your way," Malfoy retorted furiously.

"What and stay in an orphanage until you can buy some pokey flat?" Ron butted in, obviously unable to resist taunting him.

"I'm not going to an orphanage, I'll be staying at my-at the house!" Malfoy said through gritted teeth and he turned to leave.

"Will _she_ let you live there?" Ginny asked.

Malfoy froze, but these seemed to be the magic words because he turned around again and glared at them and then something changed in his expression and he suddenly looked even angrier.

"It should be my house!" he hissed, "she'll love this," he said bitterly, "making such a big fuss out of letting me stay and giving me tiny bits of pocket money, out of my own money!" his face darkened and Ginny saw his wand hand twitch as if longing to curse the imaginary Belatrix in his mind.

"Then the way I see it," said Ginny, powering on, "is that you only have two options. Adoption or marriage."

Malfoy's expression suddenly went blank as he looked at Ginny, then he registered what she had said and sneered at her.

"What are you talking about, that's the stupidest thing I ever heard!"

"Told you," muttered Ron from behind Ginny's back.

"So you're just going to live dependant on Belatrix your entire life?" Ginny said, ignoring Ron.

"I-," but it seemed Malfoy didn't have a definite answer, "I'm not marrying anyone," he snapped, "that's ridiculous!"

"What about adoption?" Ginny pressed.

"I'm a Malfoy," said Draco, "and I'll stay that way!"

Ron sniggered and Hermione elbowed him hard in the ribs, causing his laugh to turn into a muffled grunt. Malfoy, Ron and Harry were now staring at each other with such hate that Ginny was sure one of them was going to curse the other any second. Hermione obviously thought the same because she grabbed both Ron and Harry's elbows and started to steer them towards the castle.

"What? Hermione!" protested Ron.

Hermione ignored him and pulled them up the steps, Harry looked only too pleased to leave but Ron kept staring back over his shoulder until they had disappeared into the entrance hall.

"You can change your name back," said Ginny.

Malfoy continued to glare to her.

"You won't ever have to be dependant on Belatrix."

"It's a stupid idea."

"Just think about it," Ginny said. Malfoy looked at her suspiciously.

"Why do you want to help me Weasly?"

"No reason," she said with a poker-face, "can't I do a nice thing?"

"Yea, right," Malfoy huffed under his breath and continued to look suspicious.

The bell rang out over of the grounds and students started to walk back towards the castle. As Malfoy turned without another word and walked back to the castle, Ginny followed him a distance and thought, as she had got her point across and not been hexed, that it had been a small victory on her part so far.

* * *

Okay so the second chapter is done! This was so hard to do..I could not think of a way Malfoy would agree to meet Ginny, let alone discuss adoption or marriage with her! I hope I made it work okay, please tell me if I did? And any ways I can improve, characters you think I should add, ect. I'm not sure if I added enough description..

I don't know how many chapters of this I am going to do..should I make it long or short? Anyway, I can't wait for the chapters to get going, I have good ideas for some soon to be chapters! ^^

Thank you for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

It was early morning, the sky was a clear blue and the air was cold, promising frost. In the Gryffindor common room Ginny stood by the windowsill, a sheet of parchment in one hand and a quill in the other, scribbling a letter. A brown school owl stood next to her, its large amber eyes flicking around the room as it waited. In the common room there was only a few students, sitting finishing homework or rubbing their eyes blearily.

Hermione came down from the girls dormitories as she was finishing and sat in an armchair.

"Your up early," she said.

Ginny shrugged, "couldn't sleep much last night," she said and Hermione looked concerned.

She finished writing and rolled up the parchment and the owl held out its leg, she was securing the letter when footsteps from the boys dormitories announced the arrival of Harry and Ron. She opened the window and the owl spread its wings and flew out, disappearing into the distance over the forbidden forest as she walked over to an armchair and sat down.

"Who were you sending an owl to?" Ron asked as he and Harry walked over to them.

"You wouldn't be interested," she replied, getting a school book out of her bag and opening it with an air that suggested she didn't want to talk.

Ron glance at Harry who yawned, looking tired and who hadn't really been listening.

"Let's go down to breakfast," said Ron, "I'm starving."

Hermione stood to join them.

"Coming Ginny?" she asked.

"What? Oh..yes alright," Ginny put her book in her bag then slung it over her shoulder and followed them to the portrait hole.

She seemed preoccupied as they made their way down the corridors, joining other students and entering the great hall where the four house tables were laid out for breakfast.

They sat down together at the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron pulled some porridge towards them while Hermione went for the cornflakes. Ginny took a slice of toast and occupied herself with buttering it very carefully, not joining in their conversation. Ron and Harry were deep in discussion about the quiditch tryouts which Harry, who had received the captain badge in the post that summer, was holding the next weekend while Hermione listened with little interest.

"Oh good, the post's here," Hermione said, interrupting the two boys as hundreds of owls suddenly flooded into the great hall.

Hedwig and Errol were nowhere to be seen but two barn owls were soaring towards them, both with rolled up newspapers clutched in their talons, they landed on the table between the milk jug and the pumpkin juice, one in front of Hermione and the other in front of Ginny. The two girls untied the newspapers and when the owls stuck out their legs they tucked a Knut into the pouch there and they took off again.

"Since when have you got the Daily Prophet?" Ron asked his sister curiously.

Ginny unfolded the newspaper and spread it out over her cornflakes.

"Since now," she said and began to rifle through its pages.

Hermione burried herself behind her own newspaper, taking more time over the front page as she scanned the articles. She snorted at something and shook her head at something else, then she reached for a plate of bacon and began to eat slices with alternating spoonfuls of cornflakes.

Ginny meanwhile had found what she had been looking for and had taken a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag and was busy writing, glancing at the page as she copied something down from it. Ron tried to look over curiously but Ginny shielded his view with the other page and he gave up. He noticed Harry was watching Hermione with a faintly nauseated look on his face, she had dropped little pieces of bacon into her cold cornflakes and was now eating the soggy mush together.

"Hermione?" he asked, she looked up and he hesitated before saying, "er, what's first today then?"

"History of Magic," she said, "though why you can't check yourself I don't know," she added, scraping the last of the bacon rinds out of her bowl with the dregs of the milk.

Ron looked away and finished his own porridge. Ginny shoved the parchment and quill back into her bag and then folded up the Daily Prophet, stuffing that in as well.

"We'll, I've got to go," she said, standing up.

"You are trying out for the team this weekend, aren't you?" said Harry.

"Of course," said Ginny, "see you later."

She quickly walked away, leaving the others slightly bewildered by her abrupt departure. Harry saw Dean Thomas, who had started towards them, turn around and sit back down again next to Seamus, looking disgruntled.

* * *

That afternoon Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in charms, each student had a pineapple in front of then and were trying to make it tap dance. The result was a busy, loud atmosphere and a room filled with incantations said with varying degrees of frustration and the thuds of pineapples sliding off desks and onto the floor.

Harry knew the incantation but couldn't quite get the wand movement right. He glanced to his left and tried to copy Hermione without her noticing.

"Have you noticed Hermione?" said Ron quietly to him from his other side.

"Nope never heard of her," said Harry, trying to make his pineapple dance across the table with a flick of his wand, the most he could make it do was a half-hearted shuffle.

"Have you noticed she's eating all these weird things?"

"Like bacon and cornflakes?" Harry muttered back and then shrugged, "it's not so strange, is it?"

"It is," Ron said and poked his wand at his pineapple, accidentaly stabbing it in the side as it suddenly leapt towards him.

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione asked, peering round Harry at Ron.

Harry watched with slight irritation as her pineapple pattered neatly across the desk in front of him.

"Ron's wondering if we can eat these after," said Harry.

Ron threw him a look as he wiped the end of his wand on his robes.

"Don't you ever think of anything other than food?" said Hermione.

Ron opened his mouth to reply and then shut it again turning, scowling, back to his pineapple which was now still again.

"At least yours jumped," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.

"I don't think Flitwick going to count that as dancing," said Ron moodily.

At the end of the lesson Harry and Ron were both given homework and that afternoon after classes they found themselves sitting in the common room writing a sheet of parchment on the charm. Hermione was still in ancient runes but after a while Ginny came in through the portrait hole and sat beside them.

"What I don't get," said Ron in irritation after writing detailed instructions on the correct wand movement, "is why anyone would want to make a pineapple tap dance in the first place!"

Ginny looked curiously at what he was writing and then opened her bag and took out the newspaper from breakfast.

"Is that the Daily Prophet again?" Ron sat down beside her.

"Yes."

He leaned over and looked at what she was reading, a small advert at the bottom of the page.

"Fissure's foster and adoption agency," he said, incredulously, "you've got to be joking, you're still into this?"

"Ron go away."

"Why are you so obsessed about this?" Ron said, "it's crazy!"

Ginny gave him a cold glare.

"I am not obsessed, I just want to help him."

"But why?"

"I just want to help him," Ginny repeated, "besides, can you imagine how awful he'd become under Belatrix's influence?"

"He can't get much worse than he already is!" Ron muttered.

"That's not why you're doing this, is it Ginny?" Harry asked, "because Ron's right you know."

Ginny scowled.

"Not you too."

"We've hated each other since we met, he's taunted me every second he got, what else am I going to say?"

Ginny's frown lessened and she suddenly looked crestfallen.

"I'm sorry."

"If you really want to help him then go ahead," said Harry quickly, not meaning to have upset her, "but that doesn't mean we're going to like it."

Ginny sighed and turned back to the newspaper.

"If only you could bury the hatchet.."

Harry exchanged a furious look with Ron.

"Bury the hatchet? Ginny, he-!" but then he saw that she was grinning teasingly at them.

"Is that who you were writing to this morning?" Ron asked.

"No," said Ginny,"if you must know I was writing to mum this morning, she's not very happy at the moment," she flushed and Ron's ears reddened.

"Oh.." he said, "well that's..fine then," he said in a gruff voice, glaring at his homework fiercely as if it had done him personal harm.

They sat in silence for a while, Ginny took out an envelope from her scribbled wrote something down on the front then she rolled up her newspaper and started on her homework too. Harry saw it was for care of magical creatures and was silently thankful that he had dropped the subject, however much he liked Hagrid.

"Hey Ron."

They looked up, Fred and George were coming towards them from the other side of the common room.

"Look at this," said Fred and he slung a piece of parchment down in front of Ron.

It was a letter, as Ron picked it up and read it his face slowly filled with colour as his eyes sped over the page then he snorted and threw it at Harry. Surprised, Harry stopped it sliding off the table and started to read it. It was from Mr Weasly and as Harry read it he felt more and more embarrassed, especially when Ginny came round the table and read over his shoulder.

"She vanished his screwdriver collection?" she said.

"And the engine he was taking apart and putting back together," said Fred gloomily, he and George sitting down.

Harry felt surprised as he read Mr Weasly's scathing letter, he knew Mrs Weasly regarded Mr Weasly's tinkering with muggle artifacts with a certain suspicion but he would never have thought she would have messed with them like that. It seemed something between Mr and Mrs Weasly had snapped.

"Well mum sent me a letter last night," Ginny said as Harry finished the letter and passed it back to Ron, "and she says he let all the gnomes back into the garden just to annoy her and spent all night in the garage fixing that engine."

"Oh so it's alright then?" said Fred angrily.

"No it's not!" Ginny retorted, "I think they're acting like children."

"Well they've got to stop soon," Ron said, his ears scarlet and he crumpled up the parchment in his fist.

"Yes, with a divorce," said George and the four Weasly children went quiet, Ron's ear tips went even darker, Fred and George exchanged a glum look and Ginny looked down at the floor, her hair falling forwards to cover her face.

Harry was feeling increasingly uncomfortable, he wanted to say something to break the silence but he didn't know what. It was with relief that he saw Hermione coming in through the portrait hole.

"Hi," she said brightly, sitting down, then she noticed their expressions, "what's wrong?"

Ron said nothing but passed her the letter. She quickly read it and her face fell.

"Oh, I'm-I'm sorry," she passed it back and gave Harry a glance that plainly said she felt as uncomfortable as he did.

"They're going to get a divorce, aren't they?" Asked Ginny in a small voice and Harry had a sudden strong impulse to put his arm around her but Hermione beat him too it.

"It'll be okay," she said soothingly, to all of them, "I'm sure they'll work it out."

"Your mum and dad were meant for each other," Harry agreed but the four Weasly children continued to look glum.

"We'll, see you," said Fred and, leaving the letter on the table beside Ron, they stood and went back to their table across the room.

There was a pause then Ron suddenly grabbed the letter, crumpled it up in his fist and threw it into the fire. It smoked and glowed red then the edges started to curl and blacken and suddenly it burst into a fireball for before curling and crumbling into ashes.

* * *

That evening Harry and Ron had finished their homework and were rewarding themselves by playing chess with Ginny and Hermione. It was Hermione and Ron verses Harry and Ginny.

Harry frowned and prodded his knight forwards where it took Ron's pawn. Ron didn't seem at all bothered by this and quickly directed Hermione to move her castle forwards so it took their bishop.

The common room was crowded, a few tired students had gone up to bed but most were sitting together chatting or hurriedly finishing off last minute homework.

"GEORGE!"

The common room went silent at the bellow from the boys dormitories that shattered the peaceful air, there were pounding footsteps on the stairs and then Fred appeared. At once there was a shout of laughter around the common room, quickly turning to muffled giggles as Fred glared around the room.

"Yes?" said George innocently, a huge grin across his face, "my my Fred, what have you done?"

"Me?" growled Fred, "me!?' his voice came out muffled.

"Well yes, I can't see why anyone else would want to stick vegetables to your face. Though I can't see why you would either."

Where Fred's nose had once been there was now a large and rather fat tomato. The laughter in the room had started again, Harry couldn't help himself, Ron was doubled up and Ginny had a wide grin on her face. Hermione's expression was torn between amusement and disapproval.

"You jinxed me!"

"Are you sure?" said George, "I think I would have remembered that."

Harry saw his gaze flicker to a group of girls and was not surprised to see the pretty sixth year amongst them, all of them were laughing too. Fred's nose was starting to look a little old, the plump shininess had turned to wrinkles and as they watched the little green stalk withered before their eyes and the whole tomato sagged.

Unnoticed, Ginny prodded her king forwards where he promptly threw Ron's castle from the board with a clunk.

Fred snarled and drew his wand, George mirrored him with lightning speed and a hush went over the common room. Neville looked scared, clutching the back of a chair while Ron was watching excitedly.

"Don't!" he said, grabbing Hermione's arm as she made to stand up.

"Ron we're prefects!" Hermione protested but he wasn't listening.

Fred however just pointed his wand at his own face and muttered something under his breath. The tomato shrank and was replaced immediately by his original nose again. Still glaring at his twin, Fred raised his hand to check that it was normal then he turned on his heel and stormed up the stairs back to the boys dormitories. There was a few seconds of giggling and then people started talking again excitedly.

"What has gotten into them?" asked Hermione as Ron, still wiping his eyes, turned back to the board and tried to figure out where their castle had gone, "they're at each other all the time now."

However, as they glanced at the group of sixth year girls, they had a pretty good idea.

* * *

The weekend dawned, bright but cold. As Ginny made her way down to the quiddich pitch she could see grey clouds rolling towards them over the horizon, reflecting in the calm waters of the lake. Harry and Ron were already there, along with Hermione, Fred and George and a gaggle of students standing around them. One or two were clutching broomsticks but most of them waiting for the school brooms. As she arrived Fred and George gave her identical impish grins and she scowled, if she didn't get in they'd never let her live it down.

Harry unlocked the broom shed and took out the school brooms while Katie Bell came sprinting across the pitch, apologizing for being late.

"Good luck," said Hermione as the students who weren't trying out drifted away to sit among the stands, she smiled at Ron but he hardly seemed to hear her, he looked green.

Ginny was just about to say something encouraging to him when she was pushed aside as a tall boy came striding up to them.

"Cormac McLaggin!" he said, thrusting out his hand for Harry to shake, "I'll be trying out for keeper."

Ginny thought she saw Hermione scowl as she waked away from them to find a seat. Harry took his hand and shook it while Ginny rubbed her sore shoulder and went to join Fred and George.

"What do you reckon?" she said to them.

"He's trying out for keeper.." said George, "he looks the right build for it."

"Ron better play like he did in that last match last year," said Fred.

Katie joined them.

"Let's hope he's all talk," she said as McLacghin started to give Harry a pep-talk, "he's driving me mad already."

After quite a lot of forced patience and shouting, Harry had managed to weed out the first years, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as well as a few groups of helplessly giggling girls and had supplied the remaining students with brooms. To no-one's surprise Fred and George outflew the other beaters easily, while hitting quite a few at each other, Fred was obviously still sore. Fred hit an extra bludger at McLagchin as he flew past which he had to duck to avoid.

"One for luck, he called and grinned as Harry gave him a disapproving look.

Ginny felt slightly nervous as she mounted her broom and kicked off from the ground, feeling the wind whip through her hair as she soared upwards and she briefly wondered if she should have tied it back. They took it in turns to try out, each trying to dodge the other players and score as many goals as possible in ten minutes. Her turn eventually came, she was confident she would fly better than the last three, the first had scored only two goals, the second had seemed scared of flying too close to the goalposts and the third seemed to have never been on a broom before and found it difficult to fly and hold onto the quaffel at the same time never mind throw it. The student before her however, a fourth year, had flown pretty well and scored nine goals as well as dodging the bludgers Fred and George pelted at her with ease. The hufflepuff keeper was in the goalposts, Harry had asked him to help try out the chasers.

Ginny turned as someone called her name and caught the quaffle Katie threw to her then immediately shot off across the pitch, swerving around the other players and heading for the goalposts. She zoomed forwards and, fainting right, threw it to the left goalpost, it soared over the keepers hands and through the hoop. One down, Ginny thought, feeling slightly more confident. She saw Dean Thomas sitting in the stands with Seamus but deliberately avoided his gaze as she flew past.

In the end she scored seventeen goals, the last after dodging a tackle from Katie just a few seconds before Harry blew the whistle. Feeling relieved and pleased with herself she passed the quaffel on, smiling at Hermione as she saw her beaming at her from the stands.

The next chaser scored a goal and then, apparently delighted with himself and completely surprised, lost all control of his broom and sent his comet two-sixty hurtling to the ground where it crashed at the bottom of the goalposts, the end sticking into the mud. She felt slightly sorry for him as, amid gales of laughter from the onlookers, he staggered off his broom and grinning in spite of himself, left the pitch, Ginny thought he might have lost a few teeth. By now the people finished breakfast had come out of the great hall to watch and others came and sat in the stands holding stacks of toast. After Katie had flown excellently and two more broken teeth incidents, one as the chaser threw the quaffel and missed the goals completely, hitting someone in the face, the chaser tryouts ended and Harry blew his whistle. He chose his chasers, Katie, Ginny and the fourth year that had gone before her who was called Demelza Robins and who Harry praised for her particular skill of dodging bludgers.

Then it was the keepers tryouts, the students who had tried out for chaser left the pitch to sit in the stands along with the Hufflepuff keeper. Harry had waited until last to do the keeper tryouts and Ginny personally thought this was a mistake, as the stands were fuller than ever and Ron looked a very pale green. Harry seemed to be anxious too, although was obviously unwilling to looks biased as he circled the pitch. The first two keepers only saved a few goals apiece and Ginny managed to get round them easily. McLaggen was next, he saved Demelza's despite the spin she put on it and her own goal as she shot it towards the left goalpost and then he grinned triumphantly, raising a hand to the crowd. She suppressed a scowl with difficulty. On the last goal however, Katie flew forwards and, after fainting on either side she threw it to the left. To Ginny and everyone else's surprise, McLaggin shot off towards the right and the crowd let up a shout of laughter.

Last to fly, Ron flew unsteadily up to the goalposts and faced them, his hands gripping his broom handle tightly. Ginny watched as he saved the first two goals and then flew towards him herself, she shot it towards the goalpost, aiming under his arm. He fumbled in surprise and her stomach clenched, she didn't want him to miss, but then he caught it at the very tips of his fingers. She watched with bated breath as he saved the next two goals and then felt a rush of relief, the crowd roared and she saw Hermione cheering loudly. Fred and George were grinning widely and Ron had gone from green to white, they landed and he got off his broom looking weak-kneed. Harry landed too and they gathered round him, grinning.

"Well done everyone," he said hoarsely.

Ginny saw McLaggin striding up to them as the team moved away, chatting amongst themselves. He looked livid and towered over Harry, his face and neck red but Harry stared back and replied calmly, his voice firm. Ginny heard her name mentioned and listened closer to hear Harry rejecting the idea that she had thrown her goal easily for Ron on purpose. She felt a flush of anger towards McLaggin and satisfaction that he hadn't managed to get in.

"We'll done!" Hermione ran up to them, beaming, "you flew really well Ron! You all did."

Ron smiled proudly and proceeded to describe in detail how he had caught every goal, looking suddenly bright and energetic. McLaggin stormed off across the pitch and Harry came over to them, then the team headed back to the common room to celebrate. On the way to the Griffindor common room Ginny saw Harry pull Hermione aside, to her surprise Hermione looked embarrassed as she replied.

Ginny had forgotten all about Malfoy until they entered the common room and she saw a letter sitting on a table which Delemza picked up and handed to her.

"It's for you," she said.

Ginny took it and quickly stowed it in her pocket.

"Oh, thanks, probably from my parents."

She knew however from the crest in the seal that it was not, it was the adoption agency, she hadn't expect them to get back to her so quickly. She decided to leave it until later when she could read it in peace, the last thing she wanted was the twins to find out that she was helping Malfoy, she'd never live it down.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed or added this story to their favourites! **

Also, I just want to say that this is not a GinnyxDraco fic..I know it says DracoxGinny but I hadn't thought about it being that kind of fic, more that Ginny is helping him because she is in his dept or because she needs him to be in her dept or something like that. They will probably, however, become friends at the end of it, or at least form a kind of uneasy friendship. i wasnt planning fo rit to be romance betweent them. (which makes coming up with a reason for her helping him that much harder..xD)


	4. Authors Note

Hey everyone! Just want to say that I WILL finish this, but I have had a serious writers block and other stuff that kept me busy.

I also forgot the ninety day limit, so like thirty of my files got deleted D: But luckily, this was saved, hooray! :D

Also, this is not going to be a GinnyxDraco romance fic..she's not going to end up married to him in the end. I don't really like those sorts of fic so I can't see myself writing one, sorry! She will still help though for unknown (lol plot fail) reasons. I'm trying to make it comedy but it is surprisingly hard!

You should try this challenge yourselves, it's a lot of fun!

Thank you for all the faves, comments and follows, I really, really appreciate them all! :D

See you soon!


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